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Piz Tri Vertical 2023 results. WMRA World Cup at Italy. Records by Patrick Kipngeno & Andrea Mayr
Piz Tri Vertical 2023 results. WMRA World Cup at Italy Following the recent Montemuro Vertical Run in Portugal, the next Gold Label event in this year’s Valsir Mountain Running World Cup takes place on this weekend (15th and 16th July) in Italy
The Valsir Mountain Running World Cup Lands in the ‘Village of Mountain Running’. Twenty nations come together to celebrate mountain running history at this weekend’s Fletta Trail and Piz Tri Vertical. Today both male and female records fell on Piz Tri VK to the current world champs, a historic performance
wmra world cup 2023 piz tri vk foto marco gulberti
Piz Tri Vertical 2023 WMRA World Cup at Italy
Malonno. Over the years we have seen some incredible racing in Malonno as part of
our World Cup, but anticipation has never been higher than it was for this year. With the celebration of the 60th anniversary of Fletta Trail with US Malonno and the greatest ever line-up of athletes, all eyes were on Piz Tri Vertical as it kicked off the weekend of mountain running.
Today’s Piz Tri Vertical was the next Gold Label Race of this year’s Valsir Mountain Running World Cup. It was our second vertical uphill race of the competition (with the first being the Broken Arrow VK in June) and the first opportunity for our vertical uphill specialists to collect some World Cup points in Europe.
Piz Tri Vertical has played an important role in mountain running history, with many of the greats of the sport competing here over the years. With the 1000m of ascent coming in just 3.4km on the
course it is brutally steep in places and the climbing is relentless.
The organisers managed to assemble an incredible field of athletes, which included former winners, six of the medallists from the recent World Mountain and Trail Running Championships (including both the women’s and men’s gold medallists from the vertical uphill race) and some exciting, young up-and-coming runners.
Piz Tri Vertical. The Course
Runners start at Moscio at 820 metres and then climb relentlessly up to Malga Campel at 1,820 metres on the slopes of Piz Tri. This perfect finish position offers panoramic views for the spectators, as well as a brutal, steep, grassy final section for runners, who will find themselves using their hands as well as their feet.
The women’s race
The women’s race set off first, under clear blue skies and with warm temperatures. The clear favourite was Andrea Mayr (AUT) as the five-time winner and record holder (with 37.20). But everybody was excited to see a rematch of the recent World Championships duel between Mayr and Philaries Kisang (KEN), which produced that nail-biting finish with Mayr taking her seventh world title.
But the depth of the women’s field was such that any number of runners could have made that podium. Scout Adkin (GBR) was coming into the race straight off a win at Montemuro two weeks ago, having finished eighth in the vertical uphill race at the World Championships a few weeks before that. Joyce Njeru (KEN) was second at Montemuro and won bronze at the classic race at the World Championships. Monica Florea (ROU) is an athlete equally adept at classic and vertical uphill races, able to perform on the big stage. Add to that a whole host of Italian athletes capable of making the podium and we had a very exciting women’s race on our hands.
But it was no surprise to see Mayr striking out for the front from early on in the race. She was chased hard by Adkin and Kisang, but she was characteristically calm and consistent and the win never looked in any doubt. Mayr took the win in 37.14, breaking her own course record!
Adkin was second in 38.59. The women’s race was close for placings three to five, but it was Kisang who completed the women’s podium in 39.49. Florea came in just behind her, with Njeru completing the top five.
The men’s race
The men’s race set off half an hour after the women and its field was just as impressive as the women’s. Last year’s winner and current record holder (with 33.38), Andrea Rostan (ITA), was toeing the line. After that memorable victory at the Broken Arrow VK just a few weeks ago, he looked to be in form. Alongside him was Patrick Kipngeno (KEN), recently crowned World Champion in the vertical uphill race. He was only defeated in one World Cup race last year (Sierre Zinal, where he finished second), so it’s always hard to bet against an athlete of such quality and consistency.
Last year’s runner-up, Philemon Kiriago (KEN), who was seventh in the recent vertical uphill race at the World Championships, and took silver in the classic race there, would certainly be a runner to watch. But with a field that also included Henri Aymonod of Italy, (third at the Broken Arrow VK, third here last year), Joe Steward of Great Britan (tenth in the uphill race at the World Championships), Timotej Becan (SLO), Filimon Abraham (GER) and Sylvain Cachard (FRA), this was going to be quite a race.
But just as in the women’s race we expected to see Mayr at the front, nobody batted an eyelid when it was Kipngeno who hit the front. Here the race was going to be for second and third and it was all very close. Kipngeno held on, as expected, for the win and he broke Rostan’s course record by an astonishing minute and a half, setting a new course record of 32.08!
wmra world cup 2023 piz tri vk Patrick Kipngeno foto marco gulberti
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